Method of surface-treating labeled articles



Aug. 8, 1939 T. H. WAY

METHOD OFSURFACE-TREATING LABELED ARTICLES Filed Feb. 1, 1938 ATTORNEYSPatented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE' METHOD OFSURFACE-TREATING LABELED ARTICLES Rubber Company, ration of New JerseyNew York, N. Y., a corpo- Application February 1, 1938, Serial No.188,043

20 Claims.

This invention relates to methods of surface treating labeled articlesand more particularly to methods of treating the surface of an articleto which a label has been applied, while maintaining the label in anuntreated condition.

The invention is adapted to the application of a label to an article,the surface of which article is to be subjected to a treating operation,while the label is to remain unaffected by the treating operation. It isparticularly applicable to the manufacture of an article having a rubberlabel such as an embossed label attached to the article, where it isdesired to finish the surface of the article as by varnishing withoutcoating the face of the label with the varnish, and where the labelcannot readily be applied to the article after the, varnishingoperation.

It is customary when applying a rubber identifying emblem or label to arubber article such as a boot, overshoe, length of hose, or other rubbergoods, to apply the vulcanized, partially vulcanized, or unvulcanizedlabel directly to the surface of the article before vulcanizationthereof so that the label may be permanently adhered to the article.This process is adequate in the case of unvarnished rubber goods butwhen the article is to be varnished or otherwise treated, afterapplication of the label, the previously adhered label is also subjectedto the same treatment with the result that, in the case of varnishing,the label itself is covered with the varnish so that its original coloror appearance, which may be of contrasting color from the articleitself, is hidden from view. If a rubher article is varnished beforeapplication of the label, firm adhesion of the label thereto byvulcanization is prevented by the presence of the intermediate film ofvarnish. If a metal article is varnished before application of therubber label to be vulcanized thereto, the heat necessary forvulcanization of the rubber to the metal may destroy the varnish, or, ifthe rubber is to be attached to the metal by an adhesive alone, theadhesive often will not properly stick to the varnish. In the case ofemblems or labels which have raised lettering or other configuration ontheir faces, a coat of varnish over the label may in some cases fill theinterstices between the letters, or at any rate will render the articleas a whole all of the same color so that the label will be visible onlyby reason of such surface irregularities as may still appear. Inpractising these prior methods of applying the label and subsequentlyvarnishing the article, it has heretofore been impossible to produce afinished treated or varnished article which has an attractive coloredlabel vulcanized thereto and which at the same time stands out in itsoriginal bril liance. Also in these methods, if the article wasvarnished before attaching the rubber label thereto, the bond betweenthe label and the article Was weakened by the intermediate varnish film.

The present invention provides a process for treating, as by finishingor varnishing, the surface of an article, particularly of a rubberarticle, which has a label, for example of rubber composition, appliedthereto, while maintaining the face of the label in an untreatedcondition. According to this process, a temporary readily removable filmof protective material is deposited from a fluid medium onto the face ofthe label prior to the treatment of the surface of the article proper.The back of the label is attached, as by adhesion, to the surface of thearticle, so that the over-all surface of the article includes thetemporary film protecting the face of the label. The desired portions ofthe surface of the article, including all or part of the surface of thetemporary film, are then subjected to the surface treatment. The filmcompletely covers and closely adheres to the surface of the label evenwhere the label has irregular or raised and depressed surfaceconfigurations, so that the treatment or treating material cannot comeinto contact with the face of the label which is sealed therefrom. Thefilm is then removed from the label, revealing the face of the labelfirmly secured to thearticle and presenting its original and unalteredaspect.

Referring to the drawing, a present preferred embodiment of a methodaccording to the invention is illustrated, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an unvulcanized rubber label having a raisedletter formed or printed on its surface;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line 2-2 ofFig. 1

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the lettered label after being coated with aprotective film of latex;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line 4-4 ofFig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the label after being applied to a fragmentaryportion of an article,

and after the article and coated label have been varnished;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 66 of ,Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the latex film partiallyremoved from the label to reveal the original aspect thereof, and

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 88 of Fig. 7.

This process is of particular value when a rubber label having raised ordepressed letters or other configurations on its surface is coated witha protective film of latex before application to the article and beforevarnishing, since the latex film not only coats the entire area of theface of the label but conforms tightly to the surface configurationthereof, thus receiving on its exterior all the varnish subsequentlyapplied to the area where the label is located and preventing, by itssealing action, any of the varnish from coming in contact with the faceof the label. The latex may be conveniently applied to a single label ora unitary block of labels or a group of separate labels before theirapplication to the articles, for example, by spraying one or more coatsupon the face or faces thereof to form a thin film, or the coating maybe applied in any other desired manner, as by dipping or brushing. Theuse of latex for this purpose is also advantageous since, when properlycompounded, it may be vulcanized to attain high cohesive strength inorder to facilitate removal as by stripping, without tearing of the thinrubber film. The latex film is also flexible and resilient, so that itwill not fiake or crack before or during removal. When this latexprotective coating is employed to cover a printed block of uncut labels,its transparency is of assistance in determining the proper position ofthe dies for cutting out the individual labels. When applied to labelshaving printing or other marking as, for example, by a rubber ink, thelatex film applied according to the present process may be strippedtherefrom without defacement or damage to the design or letteringprinted on the label.

Referring particularly to the drawing, a process according to thepresent invention is described merely by way of illustration and it is,of course, not intended to limit the invention thereto. A rubber labelID having a raised letter ll, while in an unvulcanized, vulcanized orpartially vulcanized condition, as desired, is sprayed with a latexcoating l2 of the desired composition. In order to facilitate thesubsequent removal of the latex film l2 from the label It) and letterII, it may be desirable to first coat the label with a coagulant such asa 30% acetic acid-alcohol solu tion, in which case the film I2 of latexmay be built up to the desired thickness by continuously spraying thelatex over the coagulant. Alternatively the label may first be coatedwith a lubricant such as talc, a spray of latex then applied and allowedto dry, and in this case the desired thickness is attained bysubsequently spraying additional coats of latex and alternately allowingthem to dry in order to attain the desired thickness of the film I2, asshown in Figs. 3 and l. The back of the label is then applied, with orwithout an adhesive, as by gentle pressure, to the desired portion of arubber article :3, after which the entire article is brushed or sprayedor dipped with a rubber paint or varnish M, which usually in the case ofrubber boots or shoes is of a dark color. At this stage, as shown inFigs. 5 and 6, the original face of the label having the rubber film iscompletely covered by reason of the presence of the varnish. Because ofthe completeness with which the latex film l2 covers the label byconforming exactly to the surface configurations thereof, actual contactof any of the varnish l4 against the face of the label is prevented.Figs. '7 and 8 show the final step of the process in removing the latexfilm l2 from the label l0, as by separating it at one cornet and thenpulling the film off in one entire piece. vulcanization of the label tothe article may be accomplished at any desired stage in the process solong as it does not injure the varnish. After removal of the film, thelabel stands out distinctly from the adjacent portions of the surface ofthe article, revealing its original color, form and aspect.

In the case of attaching a rubber label to the surface of material otherthan rubber, as, for example, a metal pipe or tank, the back of thelabel may be first coated with an adhesive as a temporary adherent, thenattached to the metal surface, and finally vulcanized at elevatedtemperature to the article, after which the article and protective filmmay be varnished, and the film subsequently removed. In this manner thevarnish coating is spared from subjection to the damaging temperaturesoften necessary for such rubber-to-metal vulcanization. In the case ofapplying certain rubber labels, or labels of other materials, tosurfaces other than rubber, it may be desirable merely to employ anadherent, without vulcanization, to effect the bond between the labeland the article to be labeled.

While the invention is particularly adapted to varnishing any articlewithout varnishing a label attached thereto, it may be practiced withadvantage in connection with other surface treat ments of rubberarticles as will occur to those skilled in the art. For example, thelabel may be of another material than of rubber, and the protective filmmay be of other fluid depositable material than rubber latex, so long asit conforms to the surface configuration of the surface to be protected,insures that the underlying surface is unaffected by the treatingprocess, and can be readily removed. The surface to be protected may,for example, be a portion of the surface of the article itself, adjacentto a portion which is to be subjected to the treatment. Instead ofprotecting a label, it may be desired to protect the obverse side of alayer of rubber or other material, the reverse side of which is appliedto the surface of the article, while the adjacent portions of thesurface of the article are to be treated. In the case of a label orsuper-imposed layer of material, the removable protective film may bedeposited thereon afterthe application of the label or superimposedlayer to the surface of the article, care being taken to confine thearea of the film to that surface which is to be protected from thetreating process.

The term latex in the description and claims is used to designatebroadly coagulable dispersions of elastic materials, includingartificial dispersions of rubber or rubber-like materials as well asnatural latex, which may be preserved or compounded or otherwise treatedas desired, as by vulcanization, and which may be in a normal, di-

luted, concentrated, or purified condition produced by methodswell-known in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. The process of surface treating an article which comprises applyingthe back of a label to the surface of the article, the face of saidlabel having a readily removable protective film deposited thereon froma fluid medium, surface treating desired portions of the surface of thearticle and also portions of the surface of the protective film, andsubsequently removing said film from the face of the label.

2. The process of surface treating a rubber article which comprisesapplying the back of a colored label to the surface of the article, theface of said label having a readily removable protective film depositedthereon from latex, surface treating desired portions of the surface ofthe article and also portions of the surface of the protective film andsubsequently removing said film from the face of the label.

3. The process of surface treating an article which comprises depositinga readily removable protective film of latex onto the face of a labelhaving irregular surface configurations and to be applied to thearticle, applying the back of the label to the surface of tht article,surface treating desired portions of the surface of the article and alsoportions of the surface of the protective film and subsequently removingsaid film from the face of the label.

4. The process of varnishing an article which comprises depositing aremovable protective film from a fiuid medium onto the face of a coloredlabel having irregular surface configurations and to be applied to thearticle, applying the back of the label to the surface of the article,varnishing desired portions of the surface of the article and alsoportions of the surface of the protective film, and subsequentlyremoving said film from the face of the label.

5. The process of surface treating an article which comprises depositinga removable protective film from a fiuid medium onto the face of arubber label to be applied to the article, applying the back of thelabel to the surface of the article, surface treating desired portionsof the surface of the article and also portions of the surface of theprotective film and subsequently removing film from the face of thelabel.

6. The process of surface treating a rubber article which comprisesdepositing a removable protective film of latex onto the face of arubber label to be applied to the article, applying the back of thelabel to the surface of the article, surface treating desired portionsof the surface of the article and also portions of the surface of theprotective film, and subsequently removing said film from the face ofthe label.

'7. The process of varnishing a rubber article which comprisesdepositing a readily removable protective film from a fluid medium ontothe face of a colored rubber label to be applied to the article,applying the hack of the label to the surface of the article, varnishingdesired portions of the surface of the article and also portions of thesurface of the protective film, and subsequently removing said film fromthe face of the label.

8. The process of varnishing a rubber article which comprises depositinga removable protective film of latex onto the face of a colored rubberlabel having irregular surface configurations and to be applied to thearticle, applying the back of the label to the surface of the article,varnishing desired portions of the surface of the article and alsoportions of the surface of the protective film, and subsequentlyremoving said film from the face of the label.

9. The process of surface treating an article which comprises applyingthe back of a rubber label to the surface of the article, the face ofsaid label having irregular surface configurations and having aremovable protective film deposited thereon from a fluid medium, surfacetreating desired portions of the surface of the article and alsoportions of the surface of the protective film and subsequently removingsaid film from the face of the label.

10. The process of surface treating a selected portion of a rubberarticle, while maintaining an adjacent portion in an untreatedcondition, which comprises depositing a removable film of protectivematerial from a fluid medium onto said adjacent portion, surfacetreating desired portions of the surface of said selected portion andalso portions of the surface of the protective film, and subsequentlyremoving said film.

11. The process of varnishing a selected portion of the surface of arubber article while maintaining a generally contrasting coloredadjacent portion in an unvarnished condition, which comprises depositinga removable film of latex onto said colored portion, varnishing bothsaid selected portion and said film, and removing said film.

12. The process of surface treating a selected portion of a rubberarticle while maintaining an adjacent portion having irregular surfaceconfigurations in an untreated condition, which comprises depositing aremovable film of protective material from a fluid medium onto saidadjacent portion, surface treating desired portions of the surface ofsaid selected portion and also portions of the surface of the protectivefilm, and subsequently removing said film.

13. The process of varnishing a selected portion of the surface of .arubber article while maintaining an adjacent generally contrastingcolored portion having irregular surface configu-rations in an untreatedcondition, which comprises depositing a removable film of latex ontosaid colored portion, varnishing both said selected portion and saidfilm, and removing said film.

14. The process of surface treating an article which comprisesdepositing a removable protective film from a fluid medium onto theobverse surface of a layer of material to be applied to the article,applying the reverse surface of the layer of material to the surface ofthe article, surface treating desired portions of the surface of thearticle and also portions of the surface of the protective film, andsubsequently removing said film from the obverse surface of the layer ofmaterial.

15. The process of surface treating a rubber article which comprisesdepositing a readily removable protective film of latex onto the obversesurface of a layer of material to be applied to the article, saidobverse surface having a color generally contrasting to that of thesurface of the article, applying the reverse surface of the layer ofmaterial to the surface of the article, surface treating desiredportions of the surface of the article and also portions of the surfaceof the protective film, and subsequently removing said film from theobverse surface of the layer of material.

16. The process of varnishing an article which comprises depositing aremovable protective film of latex onto the obverse surface of a layerof material to be applied to the article, said obverse surface havingirregular surface configurations, applying the reverse surface of saidlayer to the surface of the article, varnishing desired portions of thesurface of the article and also portions of the surface of theprotective film, and subsequently removing said film from said obversesurface of the material.

17. The process of surface treating an article which comprisesdepositing a removable protective film from a fluid medium onto theobverse surface of a layer of rubber composition to be applied to thearticle, applying the reverse surface of the layer of rubber compositionto the surface of the article, surface treating desired portions of thesurface of the article and also portions of the surface of theprotective film, and subsequently removing said film from the obversesurface of the layer of rubber composition.

18. The process of varnishing a rubber article which comprisesdepositing a a removable portective film from a fluid medium onto theobverse surface of a layer of rubber composition to be applied to thearticle, said obverse surface having a color generally contrasting withthe color of the rubber article, applying the reverse surface of thelayer of rubber composition to the surface of the article, varnishingthe desired portions of the surface of the article and also portions ofthe surface of the protective film, and removing said film from saidobverse surface of the layer of rubber composition.

19. The process of varnishing a rubber article which comprisesdepositing a removable protective film from a fluid medium onto theobverse surface of a layer of rubber composition to be applied to thearticle, said obverse surface having irregular surface configurationsand being of a color generally contrasting with the color of the surfaceof the article, applying the reverse surface of the layer of rubbercomposition to the surface of the article, varnishing the desiredportions of the surface of the article and also portions of the surfaceof the protective film, and removing said film from said obverse surfaceof the layer of rubber composition.

20. The process of surface treating a rubber article which comprisesdepositing a removable protective film of latex onto the obverse surfaceof a layer of rubber composition having irregular surface configurationsand to be applied to the article, applying the reverse surface of saidlayer to the surface of the article, surface treating desired portionsof the surface of the article and also portions of the surface of theprotective film, and subsequently removing said film from the obversesurface of the layer of rubber composition.

THOMAS H. WAY.

